Investigators may have ended their day-long search for the body of missing Troy man Patrick Joseph Mikes empty-handed Thursday evening, but Capt. Bob Redmond said it was well worth the effort, adding that officers plan to continue searching until Mikes’ body is recovered. 

“This whole case isn’t about Patrick Mikes Jr.,” Redmond said. “This case is about Patrick Mikes Sr.

“It is our obligation as police officers in the City of Troy to protect our citizens. We’re not going to quit looking till we find the body of Mr. Mikes. We don’t need to find the body to convict Patrick Mikes Jr. of killing his father. We need to find the body because it’s the right thing to do."

Citizens joined roughly 60 police officers and firefighters from 17 different departments as they canvassed just over 24 square miles in Genesee and Saginaw counties, mostly concentrating on Montrose Township.

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During the search, police received multiple calls from citizens reporting bad odors coming from within or near the search areas. Most tips resulted in discovery of partially decomposed road kill; others turned up nothing.

Meanwhile, Patrick Joseph Mikes Jr. was charged Thursday with murdering his father in 52-4 District Court in Troy. Mikes Jr. was denied bond and remains in the Oakland County Jail.

Troy Police announced the news of the arrest on Wednesday night; according to a report in the Detroit News, Mikes Jr. entered a plea of not guilty, and a preliminary exam was scheduled for Aug. 27. Mikes Jr. is being held in the Oakland County Jail without bond.

Police have said they believe Mikes Sr. was killed in a violent altercation in the basement of his Troy home on Homewood Drive on July 27. He was last seen alive by his 16-year-old son, Andrew Mikes, on the evening of July 26. 

Mikes did not show up for work on July 27, and investigators believe his 21-year-old son, Mikes Jr., who has been the only named suspect in his father's disappearance, did not see his father leaving for a bike ride that day, as he first reported to police Sunday morning.

Mikes Jr. also was seen on surveillance video purchasing a large quantity of cleaning supplies at a local store on July 27, according to Troy police.

Mikes Jr. was charged last Wednesday morning with fraudulently using his younger brother's American Express card to make purchases at the AMC Theatre and Johnny Rocket's in Auburn Hills on July 26. He was released last Thursday afternoon after his maternal grandparents paid his $50,000 bond, police said. He has been ordered not to contact his younger brother or leave the state.

Police say there is no known history of violent altercations between Mikes Jr. and his father. 

Several agencies have contributed to the investigation, including Michigan State Police, Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Genesee County Sheriff's Office, Montrose Police Department, FBI, Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office and the Major Case Assistance Team.

The Major Case Assistance Team includes investigators from the Auburn Hills Police Department, Birmingham Police Department, Bloomfield Township Police Department, Clawson Police Department, and the Rochester Hills substation of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Redmond said numerous tips from the public have already assisted investigators. Anyone who has any information about Mikes is asked to contact the Troy Police Department at 248-524-3477.